Press Release
Santa Maria, CA - September 6, 2008...

Bandit Sprint Cars, D&S Automotive IMCA Modifieds, Factory Stocks, and Mini Stocks did battle Saturday night at Santa Maria Speedway.

The red flag flew fast and often during the 30-lap Sprint Car feature event. First for a flip at the south end by Richard VanderWeerd, of Visalia, then at the north end for a four car pileup caused when Hollister's Tyler Schmidt and Fresno's T.J. Smith made contact while fighting for the lead, turning Smith around and collecting three other cars. The next red was caused by a flip by Bill Jones, of Santa Maria, again at the north end, and the final red by second in points Albert Pombo, of Easton, who caught the wall coming out of turn four and went end-over-end down the front chute, winding up on his top. The good news is, all the drivers walked away. When the reds finally abated Schmidt appeared headed for the victory with Taft's Jason May second, until Peter Murphy, of Clovis, found the high groove and converted it into victory. Schmidt came in second and May third, with Jace VanderWeerd, of Visalia, and Justyne Hamblin, of Hanford, completing the top-five. Murphy, who also set fast time of 13.809 seconds, clinched the Bandit Series championship to go along with the Bandit/VRA title he had already secured. The Sydney, Australia transplant needs only the SMS track championship and the Kings Speedway track championship to make this a four title season. Schmidt, Richard VanderWeerd, and Jared Little, of Hanford, were victorious in 8-lap heat race action.

Modifieds also found difficulties in running their 25-lap main event. Santa Maria's Doug Thornton appeared to have everything under control from the drop of the green. But, 16 laps into the run Thornton mysteriously slid up and into the wall in turn one and his night was done. Mike Johnson, of Bakersfield, took over the lead and held it to the checkers despite attempts by second place Ron Wiley and third place David Addamo, both of Santa Maria, to get by. For Johnson it was his first career feature victory in a Modified. Atascadero's David Mayhew and Santa Maria's Ian Hunter were fourth and fifth. Cody Burke, of Salinas, Tommy Laliberte, of San Jose, and Danny Lauer, of Santa Maria, captured 8-lap heat races. With the IMCA Nationals going on this week in Boone, IA, this was a non-points race for the Mods. In a rare chance to qualify, Thornton set fast time of 15.910 seconds.

Factory Stock point leader Kirk Morgan took advantage of some hard battling between fellow Santa Maria drivers Glen Sparks and Tim Bennett, to slip by four laps from the end of the 20-lap main event to claim his sixth feature win of 2008 and extend his point lead over Michael Frazier, also of Santa Maria. Sparks was second and Bennett third, followed by Arroyo Grande's Kevin Linson and Atascadero's Mike Leland. Eight-lap heat races were taken by Dale Sylvester, of Santa Maria, and Matt Marchiando of Goleta.

Second in points Justin Marsh, of Nipomo, claimed the 20-lap Mini Stock main event to move to within 8 points of point leader Justin Crockett, of Arroyo Grande, who was fourth. Second and third were Darrin Davis, of Atascadero, and Rob Gilbertson of Santa Maria. Nipomo's Jeremy Heroux finished fifth. Davis and Crockett won the 8-lap heat races.  

Super Late Models, D&S Automotive IMCA Modifieds, Fox 11 First at Ten East vs. West Super Streets, and Mini Stocks will come together next Saturday night for the 31st running of the Bill Baker Memorial.  Gates for the event will open at 3:00 p.m., with racing at 6:00 p.m. Tickets will be priced at $18.00 for adults, $14.00 for seniors (65+), $5.00 for children six to twelve, with kids five and under free. Credit cards are not accepted. The Speedway is located 1/4-mile north of the 101/166 interchange on Hutton Road.

RACE SUMMARIES
Bandit Sprint Cars: Fast Time - Peter Murphy, 13.809
Heat 1 - Tyler Schmidt, Murphy, Jason May, Albert Pombo, Davey Knott, Rick Eberhardt.
Heat 2 - Jared Little, Rusty Carlile, T.J. Smith, Justyne Hamblin, Jeff Culver (DNS).
Heat 3 - Richard VanderWeerd, Jace VanderWeerd, Josh Davis, Steve DeMott, Bill Jones. Main Event - Murphy, Schmidt, May, J. VanderWeerd, Hamblin, Carlile, DeMott, Jones, Pombo, Eberhardt, Culver, Smith, Little, Knott, Davis, R. VanderWeerd.

IMCA Modifieds: Fast Time - Doug Thornton, 15.910.
Heat 1 - Cody Burke, Damon Redman, Thornton, Ron Wiley, Brian Clark, Kenny Rayner, Chad Weber.
Heat 2 - Tommy Laliberte, Joey Claborn, David Addamo, Paul Terrones, Daylan Coffey, Greg Markarian.
Heat 3 - Danny Lauer, Josh Vogt, Mike Johnson, Shawn Calderwood, David Mayhew, Ian Hunter, Bob Campitelli.
Main Event - Johnson, Wiley, Addamo, Mayhew, Hunter, Calderwood, Clark, Markarian, Burke, Campitelli, Coffey, Thornton, Kirkpatrick, Lauer, Vogt, Laliberte, Redman, Terrones, Rayner, Claborn (DNS), Weber (DNS), Ken Kehs (DNS).

Factory Stocks:
Heat 1 - Dale Sylvester, Michael Frazier, Randy Obert, Pete Lethcoe, Mike Leland, Tim Bennett, Bruce Johnson, Bill Spratlin, Jim Ford, Brandon Brickey, Sr.
Heat 2 - Matt Marchiando, Ray Pezzi, David Addamo, Kirk Morgan, Kevin Linson, Glen Sparks, John Hanson, Robert Read, Charlie Scovell.
Main Event - Morgan, Sparks, Bennett, Linson, Leland, Lethcoe, Marchiando, Frazier, Johnson, Scovell, Obert, Sylvester, Read, Hanson, Ford, Addamo, Brickey, Pezzi, Spratlin.

Mini Stocks:
Heat 1 - Darrin Davis, Justin Marsh, Korban Ensign, Jeremy Heroux, Robby Cervantes, Jeff Biggs, Justin Klucker, Larinda Kearns (DNS).
Heat 2 - Justin Crockett, Rob Gilbertson, Aaron Cervantes, Frank Nyback, Ben Caswell, Daylan Coffey, Phillip Sewell, Chuck Weber III.
Main Event - Marsh, Davis, Gilbertson, Crockett, Heroux, Ensign, R. Cervantes, Weber, Caswell, Biggs, Nyback, Sewell, Coffey, A. Cervantes, Klucker, Kearns.

POINT STANDINGS
Bandit Sprint Cars
1. Peter Murphy, 555 2. Albert Pombo, 477 3. Justyne Hamblin, 461 4. Rusty Carlile, 433 5. Jason May, 386.

Factory  Stocks
1. Kirk Morgan, 635 2. Michael Frazier, 589 3. Glen Sparks, 542 4. Tim Bennett, 536 5. Kevin Linson, 531.

Mini Stocks
1. Justin Crockett, 628 2. Justin Marsh, 620 3. Daylan Coffey/Jeremy Heroux, 509 5. Ben Caswell, 485.